Christie recently said that a bill that would require pet owners to buckle their animals into seat belts while driving is “stupid,” and that he won’t sign it. No argument here. The bill is an egregious example of nanny-state governing, the product of legislators believing that most anything that crosses their mind can and should be turned into law.

A bill now being considered for approval by the California State Senate could cost families and people who hire others to help around the house. Called the "Domestic Workers Bill of Rights", the point of the bill is to "extend basic, humane labor protections to thousands of nannies, caregivers, and housecleaners. This legislation helps us to bring a critical workforce out of the shadows and into the light of day."
[No word on the estimated amount of "tax revenue" would be collected.]

A bill was proposed by a senator that would include a fine for violators, and require schools to record performances and save them for two years. Performers would have to sign a contract agreeing to certain standards.

Virginia House bill 1160: Unlawful detention of United States citizens. Prevents any agency, political subdivision, employee, or member of the military of Virginia from assisting an agency of the armed forces of the United States in the conduct of the investigation, prosecution, or detention of a United States citizen in violation of the United States Constitution, Constitution of Virginia, or any Virginia law or regulation.

Gov. Jerry Brown today signed into law a $150 annual wildfire protection fee for property owners in rural areas of California. The Democratic governor announced that he signed the bill, ABX1-29, to ensure rural property owners pay their share of the state's wildland firefighting costs, citing it is essentially a fee for service. Brown's finance spokesman, said the fee is appropriate because the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection provides an added benefit to rural property owners by attacking wildfires before they reach residential areas.

We interview Denis Goddard about the fight to keep a seat belt law out of New Hampshire. New Hampshire is the only state that does not have a seat bill law. We also discuss How the NH Liberty Alliance works inside the state.

The home 'the man' does not want you to build: it has no cooling bill, no heating bill, no water bill, no electricity bill, no sewer bill and a reduced food bill.

Earthships are passive-solar, high thermal mass buildings made out of earth and recycled tires. They catch rainwater and use it 3 times. They grow food in biological cells that process graywater from the sinks. They capture solar heat and use thermal mass to stabilize temperature and require no heating or cooling. They produce their own electricity using the sun and wind.

How did breast cancer survivor Lisa Lindsay end up behind bars? She didn't pay a medical bill -- one the Herrin, Ill., teaching assistant was told she didn't owe. "She got a $280 medical bill in error and was told she didn't have to pay it," The Associated Press reports. "But the bill was turned over to a collection agency, and eventually state troopers showed up at her home and took her to jail in handcuffs."